Can You Keep a Secret?
by Hikaru a
Summary: Snow brings out secrets for both Aoshi and Misao. Dark WAFF follows. (PG-13 due to language; R&R please :3)


  
  
Can You Keep a Secret?  
(or Snow Revelations)  
  
By Hikaru  
  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Aoshi stepped to outside and observed his surroundings. The pale   
whiteness falling to the ground just enchanted him. He sighed.  
  
Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? Things never used to   
be like this. He never had to be careful of what he said, or worry  
about the events that may unfold. He spoke, the others listened. That's   
how it was supposed to go.   
  
But then again, things were not as they were when he left. No they   
were, as Sano would say, fucked up.   
  
Not only was Misao not talking to him, but Okon had began to say things   
like 'Aoshi, you shouldn't be so cruel to her.' and 'Poor Misao, she   
hasn't spoken since *then*'  
  
But what could he do? Misao was... she was gaining ground. Taking over  
what little he had left of a soul and he didn't like it. The fact that   
her silly smiling face could make him do just about anything made him   
scared. It frightened him. It made him feel like that he was weak.  
  
So what other answer was there to then tell her to 'Go away'.  
  
'That's not exactly what you said to her.' He told himself.  
  
'More or less.'  
  
Now leaning on the guard post of the patio of the house Aoshi gazed   
more off into space, his mind replaying the scene with Misao.  
  
He knew exactly where he had messed up. This was just going to be a   
simple talk to Misao. Straight forward, he didn't want her to hang  
around him anymore. The reason why? Well he had used the excuse of  
that he was worried that she might get hurt, which angered Misao   
even more than the thought that he was telling her to 'take a hike'.  
Misao didn't like this at all. Screaming started, and finally the   
whole scene ended in her screaming "I LOVE YOU!" That was what he   
feared. In panic, his answer was "I hate you and everything that you   
are."  
  
The look on Misao's face was indescribable. It looked as if her entire  
world had crumbled from beneath her. She sped out of Aoshi's room,  
crying.   
  
So the plan worked, technically.   
  
Misao stayed her distance away from Aoshi and he was free from her   
spell. Or so he thought.  
  
But tonight....  
  
Misao hadn't been at dinner. A worried Okon volunteered to go check in  
her room to see if she was okay; only to return a few seconds later   
screaming.  
  
Misao had slit her wrists.  
  
Everyone ran to Misao's room. Except for Aoshi. Aoshi was in a daze. He  
couldn't believe what he had just heard. He slowly arose from the table  
and sluggishly walked to Misao's room.   
  
Her room was dark and covered in evil shadows. Aoshi paused at her   
doorway peering into the room, and trying to see over all the   
commotion.  
  
Misao's face was pale, almost white. She looked as if she was dead. Her   
hair was un-kept, her face tear-stained. Once Misao saw Aoshi's face   
she began to scream 'Don't let him in here! He hates me! He hates me-'  
Okon and the others had to hold her down. Aoshi quickly turned away and   
fled to his own room.  
  
The only words she had said in weeks- told him to go away.  
  
He was responsible for this! Why was he so hurt? Wasn't this what he  
wanted? 'No' he told himself. 'I just wanted to claim what was left of  
my soul.' But in the process he had hurt Misao. And worse yet, the way   
she had looked at him- the way her eyes were pleading with him. They   
had once again cast their spell on his soul and Aoshi was lost again.   
  
Dammit.   
  
Okina later reported to Aoshi that Misao was indeed okay, and that she   
hadn't cut anything major. Aoshi politely asked Okina to leave before  
he could ask Aoshi to go do something foolish.   
  
Like speak to *her*  
  
No. That was the last thing Aoshi needed was to have the confusion of   
his feelings for Misao come once again. He was telling her the truth   
when he said that he was worried that she would get hurt. Gods he would   
go crazy if she ever Misao was seriously-  
  
Dammit!  
  
Aoshi cursed himself. Misao *had* been hurt. And it was he that did the  
hurting. What he had said to her- that was worse than any mortal wound  
Misao could have ever received.   
  
Sighing, Aoshi snapped out of his daze and focused once again on the   
snow. "Yuki..." He whispered. "Just like that one time-"  
  
Okina slowly approached Aoshi from behind. It didn't take Aoshi very  
long to realize the presence of the ancient master. He nodded to   
signify he knew of his presence and slowly began to watch the snow  
again.  
  
"Beautiful isn't it?"  
  
Nodding slowly, Aoshi continued to watch the snow fall. It was then   
that he saw the purple figure in the distance. Slowly walking and  
shivering in the snow. Aoshi's eyes grew wide. "Misao?!"  
  
A small grin appeared on Okina's face. "She's all right so I let her  
take a walk outside. I thought the fresh air would do her good."  
  
Aoshi shot the old man a glare. Was this some kind of trap? He turned   
his attention back to the fading Misao. Her figure, which had grown  
in the past two years, was visible but slowly being erased by the   
white of the snow. It was as if, Misao was disappearing.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Misao wanted to disappear. Oh Gods did she want to disappear! Her life  
had just become less and less un-important to this world. For the past  
two years she had been nice. She let Aoshi-sama take leadership of the   
Oniwabanshuu back and she happily stepped into the shadows.   
  
Well, more or less.  
  
She just loved to watch Aoshi-sama be happy, or at least *his* type of  
happy. She was never sure when he was truly happy so Misao was pretty   
much stumbling in the dark when she tried to do 'nice' things for him.   
But his attitude towards her ever since she had turned eighteen   
had made Misao miserable. She had secretly hoped that she and Aoshi   
would marry. Not because they were in love, even though she truly loved  
him, but because they were both strong leaders in their group. It would   
bring strength to the Oniwabanshuu. And their children would revive the   
Oniwabanshuu and it would once flourish.  
  
Well maybe not, but it was a good cover.  
  
Misao didn't really care *how* she got Aoshi, she just wanted to say  
that he was hers. She loved Aoshi. She loved Aoshi to no end. She  
had loved Aoshi ever since she was little. She had hoped that he knew  
of this love and shared the same feelings. He had dropped hints that  
he did, despite his cold exterior. Nights when the two were training he   
would help her get up, or bring her a favorite flower freshly picked   
from a neighbor's garden. Just little things. And it was those little  
things that made her life happy. Enjoyable. Meaningful.  
  
But after that night-  
  
Her dreams had crumbled.   
  
He had spoken the words that she had feared him ever saying to her.   
Even though, in the back of her mind a small voice had always told her,  
'He doesn't love you. He'll never love you. You're just a kid in his   
eyes, he'll never look at you as a woman.' She would never be more than  
a kid sister to him.  
  
And it was these doubts that took over once Aoshi had muttered the   
words:  
  
'I hate you and everything you are.'  
  
That comment hurt. Not only did he hate her, but he hated everything-  
the Oniwabanshuu, everything. Or maybe- he just hated the fact that she  
was a ninja. Of course Aoshi-sama deserved a *normal* girl! Not some   
high-strung-weasel-girl who likes to swear and fight. That must have  
been the reason he turned her away, even after she told him her  
feelings.  
  
I disgust him.  
  
Pity was the last thing Misao wanted, yet that was all she received the  
past few weeks. If everyone had just acted normal, maybe she could have  
forgotten about the whole episode and gotten on with her life, yet-  
  
Aoshi-sama would still be there. He would still be there- hating her.  
  
Hot tears began to flow from Misao's eyes. The blowing wind froze the   
tears instantly.   
  
'I hate you Aoshi-sama. I hate you because even after all this, you   
still hold my heart.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
*Aoshi-sama!*  
  
*MISAO!*  
  
  
The snow poured down upon the two very lightly. The flurries dropping  
from the sky made the day perfect. Misao's eighteenth birthday.  
  
Misao had decided, today was the day. Today would be the day that she  
told Aoshi how she felt about him. Today he would tell her how he loved  
her and their new life, together, would begin. Today was that day.  
  
So what better thing to do than to go ice skating? It was a fun past   
time of Misao's that she had picked up the previous year from a gaijin  
friend of hers. Of course she brought Aoshi along for the ride, even  
though he insisted that he would never, ever, skate.   
  
As Misao slid back and forth on the ice, in circles, Aoshi contemptly  
watched her from his seat, which he had made from a rock that was near  
the lake. "Misao, be careful, the ice isn't that thick around here."  
  
Misao, a wide grin on her face skated over to Aoshi's rock and made a   
face at him. She let out a small giggle. "You're no fun Aoshi-sama."  
  
"That maybe so, but you're still going to be careful."  
  
"Hai hai." She said passingly as she spun herself in a slow circle.   
"Ne, Aoshi-sama, after I finish this lap I want to talk to you about   
something. It's a secret. Can you keep a secret?"  
  
Aoshi nodded his head as if it were nothing. Misao stamped hard upon  
the ice. "I'm serious! I have something very important to-"  
  
Both Aoshi and Misao heard the giant cracking sound. But it was too   
late for Misao to react. The next thing she knew she was shoulder deep  
in freezing water. She gasped for air. "Aoshi-sama!"  
  
Aoshi jumped from his rock and ran to the ice's edge. "MISAO!" He cried  
out.  
  
"Help!" Misao shouted as she once more surfaced in the air, taking a   
deep breath.  
  
Panicking, Aoshi looked around him. No one. Nothing. Dammit. I told her  
to be careful. He quickly jumped into the gaping hole the ice had left   
and slowly brought Misao back to the snow-covered surface.   
  
The snow storm began to pick up now.  
  
Misao was coughing heavily, trying to get the frigid water out of her  
lungs. Aoshi continued to pat her on the back to help her get it all  
out. Finally, the coughing ceased and Misao rolled over in the snow,   
watching it fall upon her face.  
  
Her bright blue eyes appealed to Aoshi at that moment. It was times   
like these that he wondered how he survived so long without her by his  
side. But he pushed the thought far back into his mind, telling himself  
that she was just a child.  
  
Misao turned and looked at Aoshi's towering figure. "God I love you."  
She said out loud.   
  
Aoshi, shocked for a moment, looked away from Misao and coughed. "We  
should get going."  
  
"No, I'm serious Aoshi-sama!" Misao slowly pushed herself from the   
ground. "I love you, with all of my heart."  
  
Aoshi started to walk back to the Aoiya. "Come on Misao. You're just  
delirious because of the ice accident. We need to get you warm and have  
Okina take a look at you."  
  
"No dammit! Not until you take me seriously! I'm eighteen today! It's  
time you started to think of me as a woman." Tears began to stream  
down her face now. Why wasn't he listening to her?  
  
Continuing to walk, Aoshi ignored Misao. She watched, shocked that he   
was leaving her alone, as Aoshi's figure slowly disappeared into the   
blizzard.  
  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Okina's eyebrow raised as he gave a small nudge to Aoshi. "Are you just  
going to let her leave like that?"  
  
"She can do as she pleases." Aoshi said flatly. "She's always shouting   
that she's a grown woman, might as well for once treat her like one."  
  
"I see." Okina said, joining Aoshi in watching the fading Misao. A few  
moments pasted until he spoke again. "She looks pretty cold out there-"  
  
Aoshi looked at the old man for a second, his face emotionless. A smile  
grew on Okina's face. "I know why you did what you did, even though you   
may not know why yourself." Okina replied finally. "And even though I   
don't approve of how you did it, I think-" He looked back to Misao. "I   
think she looks damn cold Aoshi." Aoshi turned his head back to the   
fading figure. "Look at her, she's not even wearing a coat! The woman   
you love is going to catch a cold!"  
  
"The woman I-" Aoshi mindlessly repeated. "But how could-"  
  
"Simple." He replied. "What's the first thing you think of when you   
wake in the morning?" Aoshi remained silent, watching Misao. Okina  
began to walk back into the Aoiya. "And what's the last thing you think  
of when you go to sleep?" The door quietly shut behind Okina as his   
voice faded behind the door.  
  
Aoshi continued to watch Misao and the snow. She was almost completely  
covered in white now. Suddenly the figure disappeared. Aoshi perked up  
his neck and squinted his eyes. He couldn't see her anymore.   
  
Running as fast as his feet would carry him, Aoshi sped through the  
snow. The storm was slowly turning into light flurries. Yet Misao was  
still nowhere to be found. "Misao!" He called out to the wind. Aoshi's   
voice echoed through the streets of Kyoto as he called for her. Slowly,   
his body began to tire, and just as he was about to give up, his feet   
collided with something hard.   
  
He looked down at his feet and noticed a lump in the snow. But it   
wasn't something rock hard.   
  
It coughed.  
  
Aoshi's eyes grew wide. He knelt down to the lump and slowly brushed  
the snow away. As he feared, it was Misao. Her eyes were glazed over as  
they slowly focused onto his face. "A-Aoshi-sama?"  
  
Hiding his relief behind his cold mask, Aoshi wrapped his arms around   
Misao's cold body and lifted her up. "Are you okay?"  
  
Misao diverted her eyes from his. "I'm fine enough to walk." She   
lightly squirmed within Aoshi's grip so he would release her. Once she  
landed on the ground, Misao took a few steps away from Aoshi.   
"Aoshi-sama I-"  
  
Misao was interrupted by the feeling of Aoshi placing his trench coat   
over her body. Warmth once again flowed through Misao's body. A more  
human pink-ish color began to form in her face. She turned to Aoshi,  
who was looking to his right. He too was diverting his eyes.   
  
"Aoshi-sama...." There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to   
apologize. Whatever she had done to upset him, she would apologize  
for, just as long as he would at least look at her again. Maybe even   
speak to her. "Why?" She finally said, summing all her thoughts up in  
one simple word.   
  
"I was confused." Aoshi said, still looking away. "It just all comes so  
natural to you. For me-" His voice cracked. "I don't know."  
  
Taking a step forward, Misao held his coat closer to her body. "What   
comes so natural?"  
  
What Aoshi did next shocked both he and Misao. Reacting to the moment,  
having her so close to him. He reached out and wrapped her in a hug.  
His right hand cupped the back of her head and held her close.   
  
Dammit.  
  
Okina was right.  
  
Misao could feel more tears start to flow. Failing to hold them back,   
she again muttered, "Why? Why are you doing this?"  
  
A small smile appeared on Aoshi's face as he buried it in Misao's raven  
hair. "Can you keep a secret?"  
  
Fin  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
*sweatdrop* Yeah. This is what I feared! _ I finally wrote my damn   
A+M fic and what? It's absolutely WAFF. Nothing but WAFF _ But then,  
what should I have been expecting?   
  
Okay, I'll be the first to admit that this is my first RK fic and that  
I haven't actually SEEN the anime of Rurouni Kenshin this far into the   
series, I have only *looked at* the manga. I did extensive research   
before I even attempted this fic, but if I am wrong in some parts, tell   
me _ (zidane@chan.co.jp) I'd like to know. Don't worry you'll get   
credit for pointing me out wrong _  
  
Listening to Utada Hikaru's "Can You Keep a Secret" repeatedly is to   
blame for the title and final line of the story. It fit. I used it.  
So sue me P No wait, don't. I have no money _  
  
So what's next? A Karou + Kenshin WAFF?  
  
Kenshin: ORO?  
  
Karou: I fear.  
  
Hikaru: ^^; You're not the only one.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Standard Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own Misao or Aoshi or any other characters mentioned in this   
short. I do not own them I tell you! Nobuhiro Watsuki does though. And   
so does Sony and Jump Comics. And they are big companies that have lots  
of money. I am a poor otaku who has *no* money. So please don't sue me.  
This fiction was created for entertainment purposes only ^^;  
  



End file.
